Acclaimed game director Hideo Kojima has shared his dismay regarding Sony's decision to phase out physical PlayStation game discs by 2028. Speaking at the Il Cinema in Piazza film festival in Italy, Kojima, known for his work on the Metal Gear and Death Stranding series, reflected on the shift away from physical media.
"Since production is ending in 2028, this is about video games, but I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad," Kojima stated, as translated by the gaming news account Genki. He also revealed he has been actively purchasing physical media, including Blu-rays and CDs, in anticipation of this trend.
Kojima elaborated on the potential ramifications of an all-streaming future, drawing parallels between video games and other forms of digital content. "Currently, I’ve been buying up a lot of Blu-rays, such as various movies, and CDs too," he reportedly continued. "The situation is different for games, as they are downloaded to the hard drive, that means the game data remains on your own hardware. However, if things shift to streaming in the future, that won’t be the case anymore. With streaming subscription services, like Netflix or Amazon, there is a server somewhere, and you essentially just have the right to turn the tap, and when you do, the data flows out."
He highlighted the fundamental difference in ownership between physical media and streaming services. "You don’t download the data, you access it directly through a subscription," Kojima explained. "And the consequence of that is that you don’t actually possess the data yourself. There are companies that own these servers and let you ‘turn the tap’ for a monthly fee."
The director warned that changes in political landscapes or societal trends could lead to the loss of access to digital content. "However, with nations, politics and various ways of thinking, one naturally has to consider the possibility that if there is a change, the data inside will stop being distributed. And if that happens you won’t be able to watch or play the movies and games you like. That is what is frightening. So, what is happening to video games in 2028, might also happen to movies. I’d like everyone to keep that in mind."
This sentiment echoes Kojima's own concerns previously expressed on social media. In 2021, he tweeted, "Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative. Whenever there is a major change or accident in the world, in a country, in a government, in an idea, in a trend, access to it may suddenly be cut off. We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved. I would be a have-not. That’s what I’m afraid of. This is not greed."
The impending discontinuation of PlayStation discs by 2028, coinciding with the expected launch of the PlayStation 6 generation, has intensified discussions about digital ownership and the limitations imposed by digital-only purchases. This follows recent incidents where Sony removed purchased movies from users' digital libraries due to expired license agreements and previously unlaunched games from user libraries, such as Concord in 2024.
Other companies are exploring different approaches to this evolving landscape. Microsoft is reportedly investigating methods for users to digitize their existing physical game collections, although many analysts anticipate Xbox will eventually abandon physical media. Nintendo, meanwhile, offers game key cards, a form of physical media that functions as a DRM-locked download code, providing the advantage of resale or trade compared to purely digital acquisitions.
Despite lingering hopes for Sony to reconsider its stance, reports indicate that at least one factory specializing in PlayStation disc production is already redirecting its resources to other products.